


I Am The Great Papyrus

by ItsMeChara



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:21:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26759392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsMeChara/pseuds/ItsMeChara
Summary: He is Great!Truly the Greatest.The... Great... Papyrus...
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	I Am The Great Papyrus

  
_I am the Great Papyrus! Truly the greatest!_

  
Papyrus repeated this to himself over and over as he widened his smile in the mirror. He truly was the greatest there ever was. He believed in himself just like he believed in everyone else! There was greatness in everyone, he knew! He saw it every day. 

  
He saw the greatness in others every single day.

  
He noticed his smile was sagging and used two boney fingers to push against the corners of his jaw. Leaning against the sink, he pushed until his smile resumed its usual exuberance and repeated his mantra. _I am the Great Papyrus! The Great Papyrus! Puzzle extraordinaire and spaghetti aficionado!_

  
_Annoyingly loud and too hyper, more like._ A whisper began in the back of his mind, as images of monsters turning their nose up at him filled his mind. 

  
He vigorously shook his head, as if he were a dog shaking off a stubborn flea. _Pah! Childish antics of long ago! I was great then and I’m great now!_

  
The flea clung and continued to bite.

  
“Bro, you almost done in there?” Sans’ tired voice wandered through the closed door. “Undyne called. Says you’re going to be late.”

  
Papyrus’ smile plunged again, and he shoved both fingers into the fallen corners frantically. “YES BROTHER! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL BE OUT IN A MINUTE!”

  
Sans chuckled, and the door moved a bit as he leaned against it. “Of course, bro. You’re so cool.”

  
Shrieking laughter and pointing fingers. The heaving breaths as he tried to hide his embarrassment and shame. The echoing mock of his passion, of his dreams. The warm comfort of his brother’s arms and the coolness of his hoodie as he buried his tear streaked face into it. Memories of days long gone assaulted him. It was the first time Sans…. The first time anyone called him cool, and it was only while he cried.

  
Papyrus stared hard at the porcelain sink as he struggled to hold back his tears, slamming closed that awful box of memories and shoving it further into the recesses of his mind. _I am the Great Papyrus!_ He told himself, over and over, in a weakening voice. His fingers trembled with the force he was exerting on his cheek bones to keep his smile wide. Today, the box refused to stay shut.

  
He believed in everyone. There was goodness in everyone. He’s seen it. He saw it in his brother, standing up for him and remaining calm when his world crumbled around him. He saw it in Undyne, in her ability to face every conflict with confidence and enthusiasm. He saw it in Alphys, as she continued moving forward with her passions despite her fear of other’s opinions. He saw it in Asgore, in the shopkeepers, in MK, in everyone moving forward despite the world pushing back at them.

  
So why couldn’t he do the same?

  
_But I’m the Great Papyrus! I’m the coolest; my brother even says so! And I’m going to be part of the Royal Guard!_ But he knew. He wasn’t dumb. He saw the looks, he heard the snickers, and he understood the reason for Undyne’s ‘training’. He knew he wasn’t Royal Guard material. He knew his kindness was boring, his enthusiasm overwhelming, and that he was ultimately not cut out to guard a boiling pot. He wasn’t dumb.

  
Contrary to popular belief, _he wasn’t dumb_.

  
His fingers slid slowly from his mouth and struck the sink with a sharp clink. His smile faltered for a moment, as if trying to cling to hope, before crumbling completely. He couldn’t bring himself to look in the mirror. Tears slid down his cheeks and plopped quietly on the porcelain. _I am the Great Papyrus. I am the Great Papyrus. I am the Great Papyrus-_

  
With a sudden, agonized cry, Papyrus reached up and ripped his scarf from his neck. He threw it across the room and it struck the opposite wall, sliding down unceremoniously. He brought his quaking fingers up to the buckles of his armor and fumbled with them, his body shaking as the tears flowed freely down his face. Frustration consumed him and he scuffled with the leather; he couldn’t focus enough to undo the belt. All he could see were the pitied looks of those he looked up to. All he could hear was their laughter: laughter at him, at his ideas, at his future plans. All he could feel was misery as he watched those he deeply cared about ridicule him from behind his brother’s protective embrace. 

There was nothing great about him.

  
His puzzles were childish and simple, but he didn’t want anyone to feel bad if they couldn’t solve them. He didn’t want to hurt the human during capture, and they got away; he was a terrible guard. He didn’t deserve this armor! He didn’t deserve Undyne’s pity! He didn’t deserve that piece of trash, make-believe, tattered excuse for a cape! He didn’t deserve his brother’s love, his protection from the people he… the people he… he just wanted to be friends with…

  
He pulled hard at the neck of his armor, but it wouldn’t come off. The leather belts clung together tightly. He pulled again with all his might and slipped on the tile, smashing against the bathtub before hitting the floor. The sound vibrated the entire bathroom as he moaned in pain

“PAPYRUS, I-“ Sans' shout reverberated through the house.

  
Sans was standing in the doorway, his sockets black with both fear and concern, breathing heavily. The door was ripped from its hinges and tossed aside in a broken heap. There was still a lingering blue hue to the air around it. Papyrus turned hollow, tearful eyes to his brother from his collapsed position on the floor, gently tugging at the neck of his armor in Sans’ direction. 

  
“I…..I can’t get it off, brother.” Papyrus murmured quietly between hiccupping sobs, trying to put on a smile for his worried brother. 

  
Sans immediately ran to Papyrus and threw his arms around him in a fierce embrace. Papyrus’ smile wavered. In the familiar warmth of comforting arms, he released everything he bottled up. The exuberant smile he tried to wear every day to motivate others, the booming voice he used to drown out his own whispering insecurity, the armor he wore to protect his kind soul from the loneliness, and the cape he put on every day to feel like the hero he wanted to be to the world; everything dissolved into heartbreaking, shuddering wails of despair muffled by a cool blue hoodie.

And Sans held him together as he shook, just like when they were kids. Papyrus clung to him as frantically as he did that day years ago, and cried.

He was the Great Papyrus. He was the cool younger brother of the lazy Sans. He was going to join the Royal Guard one day. He was going to show the world his durable attitude, his unshakeable smile, his faith in all people despite their situations. He was going to show the world his sincerity. 

  
But first, he was going to allow himself to break, to trust the only person in the world he could trust with this knowledge:

  
_He wasn’t dumb, and he knew the truth._


End file.
